The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

By: Candace Fleming

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr, Eugene Alper, Mark Deakins, Julia Emelin, Gleb Kaminer, Rustam Kasymov, Paul Michael, Stefan Rudnicki

Here is the tumultuous, heartrending, true story of the Romanovs - at once an intimate portrait of Russia's last royal family and a gripping account of its undoing. Using compelling first person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost; The Lincolns) deftly maneuvers between the imperial family’s extravagant lives and the plight of Russia's poor masses, making this an utterly mesmerizing listen as well as a perfect resource for meeting Common Core standards.

©2014 Candace Fleming (P)2014 Listening Library

Critic reviews

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature

Winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction

A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist

Winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction

“[A] superb history...In these thrilling, highly readable pages, we meet Rasputin, the shaggy, lecherous mystic... we visit the gilded ballrooms of the doomed aristocracy; and we pause in the sickroom of little Alexei, the hemophiliac heir who, with his parents and four sisters, would be murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.” (The Wall Street Journal)

"For readers who regard history as dull, Fleming’s extraordinary book is proof positive that, on the contrary, it is endlessly fascinating, absorbing as any novel, and the stuff of an altogether memorable reading experience." (Booklist, starred review)

Good expansion of popular understanding

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Romanovs would not be ill-served to listen to this audiobook. It's engaging, well-written, and well-performed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's hard to pick a favorite character in a historical work but I suppose Czar Nicholas qualifies as my favorite character, despite being hopelessly out of his depth.

Which character – as performed by Kimberly Farr and Various – was your favorite?

I liked her voice for diary entries.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Much of the book was wholly unsurprising. We've heard all the tragic points before. But I think what was most moving was the execution.

Any additional comments?

This is yet another example of a ruler with a good reputation being completely responsible for the total lack of preparedness of the next ruler, which ends in disaster. (Louis XVI comes to mind.) Czar Nicholas was awful - but he was awful largely due to the fact that his father did absolutely nothing to prepare him for ruling a nation.

Excellent!

One of the best books I have ever listened to and read. Just came back from St Petersburg a month ago and wish I had read this before I went.

Their humanity really stood out; Thank you Candace.

Candace Fleming gave me an overview history of this time period in Russia, based on this family.

Astonishing

this book had me on edge, from me only knowing the cartoon movie about Anastacia and not really knowing the Romanov family history, this book really informed me of the Russian history... I was amazed at the detail of events that happened to this family and how destroyed and destructive Russia was until the fall of the royal family.. I would definitely recommend listening to this book.. even hearing what was written from the diaries of the royal family and other who interacted with them was interesting and touching..

History told in a captivating way!

Best narration I've ever listened to. Kimberly Farr is able to lead the listener through the story and include important sidebars without making it feel like an abrupt interruption. The other voices help create a sense of the times. Brilliant.

best historical book I've read so far!

although the narrator sounded like a robot half the time, the book drastically contrasted that with it's story like depictions. This made the reader feel emersed in the story, made it seem like it was happening right before their eyes.

Enjoyed the history, detail and her performance.

Would you listen to The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia again? Why?

Yes, I always revisit a good book, movie, play and now audio performance.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia?

The description of peasant life was riveting, also, the details of Rasputin's life, influence on the Romanov family, his murder and the final moments of the family's execution.

Have you listened to any of Kimberly Farr and Various ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

n/a

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

Finally, Honest Reflection of What Happened

Great story, great narration by Kimberly Farr. I've always been intrigued by the Romanov's and this particular book weaves through the legend and the myth surrounding the royal family and provides an honest and human depiction of them by referencing the perspectives from royals, peasants, soldiers, and from the Royal family's diaries. It pieces together the landscape, passion, and emotion in Russia before the revolt and the sad disappointment of communism afterwards. I cannot help but compare the last days of Russia to what's currently happening in America. The Royal family were scapegoats for evil utopian ideas, namely for the Marx idea of a "classless" society. Russia continued to throughout iron rule (and even to this day) have a privileged class. There are so many needless deaths on the road to utopia. If it can happen there, it can happen in America too. The poor in America live better than any king that's graced the earth. America will see the suffering outlined in this book of we don't tread carefully with the socialist ideas surrounding us. Greed kills innocent victims.

Captivating and illuminating

Would you consider the audio edition of The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia to be better than the print version?

Not necessarily, but I almost always prefer audio editions because reading tires my eyes, and this book is very well narrated.

What did you like best about this story?

It gives a vivid sense of how the last czar and his family lived, and how utterly out of touch with reality he and they were. Nicolas seemed totally unaware of the abject poverty of his subjects, apparently took no interest in their well being, and had no understanding of the daunting problems his country faced. Even more than Louis XVI, he was tragically unsuited to rule. Reading this book, one can understand better 1. what happened during the last period of czarist Russia 2. what kind of man Nicolas was and how disastrous his personality was for himself, his family, his country, and the entire world (and how potentially catastrophic it is when power is concentrated in an absolute ruler) 3. why bolshevism had such appeal, and why Russia would evolve in such a miserable way after Lenin took over

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Not being a historian, I have no idea what is new or not in this book, but I am certain that the vivid impressions it gives cannot be gotten readily elsewhere without extensive reading. I therefore disagree with the negative reviews and most of the criticism I read here.

Is the author a socialist?

Karma's a bitch. As so many Americans seem to want to be socialists (everybody equal), they should study just how much it doesn't work. The Russian people's situation went from bad to worse when they let Lenin and then Stalin take over the country. If they'd left things alone, they probably would have ended up with a monarchy such as most other countries have today. No real power, but much ceremony and history intact.
My other take on the book was how biased it seemed to be against the Romanovs. Not sure if the author was intending for it to be looked at from a Bolshevik POV, or if she just really didn't like the Tsar and his family. I could picture her wrinkling her nose in disgust when she discussed their lifestyle, etc.
The narration was very good. I commend the reader for her ability to pronounce the French and Russian verbiage!